Better than Tradition
by SuicidalToeSocks
Summary: Daisy has this tradition of taking her sisters out for drinks when they hit the drinking age. This time it's Misty's turn, and Tracey's dragged along for the ride. But her sisters have another idea for a birthday surprise in mind. For Aron, Happy B-day!


**A/N: Happy Birthday, Aron! Surprise, surprise, look what I did that you had no idea about! He's turning the big 1-8 today, which means he can legally drink in Australia! In the States, all he gets is legal porn, cigarettes, and lottery tickets. But he's not here, so who cares?**

**I'll have you know, Aron, that I've been trying to get something written for you since I missed the deadline last year for your birthday, mister. And I know you'd like anything I wrote for you, but I didn't want to just slap a "Happy Birthday!" onto anything, I wanted to do something with a pairing you liked, (I vaguely remember you saying you liked this one,) but I'm sorry that it took forever. Seventh time's the charm, I suppose.**

It was a tradition Daisy had started with her friends back in the day. As soon as they had become of legal age to drink, they would hit up the local club and get smashed. She carried it through to when Lily and Violet had gotten of age, and now they were doing it with Misty.

Tracey hadn't wanted to come along. He had known they were going to drag Misty along when the night of her birthday hit, and he didn't want to be a part of it. People who went out and drank for the sake of getting drunk annoyed him, especially when that person was going to be Misty. But he'd kept his thoughts to himself. He had been planning to just tell them he was going to go to bed early and make up some small excuse, but it was only because the way Misty had clapped her hands under her chin, stuck out her lip, and made her eyes as big as possible while she said, "Pleeeeeeeeeeeaaaase, Tracey? It won't be any fun without you!" that he had changed his mind in the first place.

He walked down the stairs to meet the girls, but almost immediately was bombarded with their shrieks of protest.

"You can't wear that!"

"What are you thinking?"

"They won't even let you in with shorts like that!"

Almost as soon as he'd entered the room, Daisy was steering him back out again. "You can't wear that, they'll never let you in," she said. Once in his room, she pulled open his closet, dug around for a few seconds, then tossed him a pair of slacks and a blue button-up shirt. "A belt isn't required," she told him. "but you're still there to look good, even if no one can see you."

She left the room before he had a chance to protest or even ask her what she had meant by nobody seeing him, but he decided it wasn't worth it. Daisy's word was law around here. So he sucked it up, changed into the new outfit, and met them downstairs once again. He was met with nods of approval, and the group went outside into the night.

Lily was on one side and Violet was on the other, both rolling back his sleeves to his elbows, while Daisy was busy tucking his shirt in (something he wasn't too comfortable with, but allowed her to do anyway). The only one not fussing over him was Misty, who looked as awkward as he felt.

She was dressed in short shorts, a light tank top, with her normal tennis shoes replaced by a pair of heels. He was wondering if she'd be able to keep her balance in them at all! And while shorts were really nothing new on her, something about them just made him stare just a little bit more that night than others. Daisy had even done up her face with makeup and let down and smoothed out her wild hair. Her cheeks had something akin to sparkles on them, as did her eyes, which she had flat out refused to be as eyeshadowed as her other three sisters. Her hair was let down, fell just to her shoulders, and shone as if it were made of silk or something. Tracey has no idea how girls worked their magic like that.

The other three were similar. Shorts, tank top, with heels and long, wavy hair falling down behind them. Every one of them had a little purse thing they kept their ID's and pokemon in, leaving him with just his pockets.

Misty ignored the teasing comments her sisters were making about her walking so awkwardly in heels (it wasn't _her _fault she found sneakers more comfortable!) because she was focusing intently on Tracey while trying to be impossibly discreet about it. She was sure – no, _positive_ – that he was staring at her while they walked. Something she didn't quite understand.

Violet had prettier hair, Lily was bigger-chested, and Daisy the oldest and always looked the best out of all four of them. They were all wearing the same basic outfit she was, but with tighter shirts and higher heels. So why wasn't Tracey sneaking peeks at _their_ legs, or reacting at all as they buzzed around him and fixed his shirt sleeves to his hair to tucking in his shirt. Misty felt a familiar pang of annoyance when she saw Daisy with her hands practically _down Tracey's pants._

"Daisy!" she barked suddenly, "Get your hands out of his pants, that's not something you should do while other people can see!" Her sister slid her a sly glance.

"Would _you_ rather do it?" she asked. Misty immediately turned bright red and held up her hands in front of her. Tracey's face turned the exact same color.

"Me? No! Of course not! I'm just saying that he can do it himself is all!" She folded her arms and looked away. "And it just looks wrong to see you with your hands in his pants!"

"Like I said, you're welcome to take my place!" Daisy replied. Her sisters all giggled again, then Daisy came and wrapped an arm around Misty's shoulders. "Come on, lighten up, we're almost there and it's your birthday! We're here to have a good time, our teasing's all in fun."

Misty just rolled her eyes and pursed her lips. Tracey took the opportunity to tuck in and straighten his own shirt while the timing was right. Since when did Misty get so worked up over something as little as that?

Daisy fished out three different cards, handing one apiece to Violet and Lily as they approached the massive line that curved around the building. They bypassed all the people waiting, (which Tracey thought was very unfair,) flashed them to the bouncer, told him Tracey and Misty were their guests, and then entered the club. His first thought was that he was in some sort of some hot and sweaty dim-lit locker room full of alcohol. His second thought he couldn't hear because the music was so loud.

Mostly, it was a thumping bass that made everything beat with the same pulse as the music, including the mass of people out on the dance floor. Out there, there were strobe lights and multidirectionals that flickered with the music that was playing. Currently, it was some sort of upbeat techno thing, but it still made Tracey's head hurt, as did the smell. Sweat and alcohol was the fragrance of champions, apparently.

"First stop is, like, the bar," Lily said. She pulled Misty along by one hand, Violet pulled Tracey along by another, and Daisy brought up the rear. She flashed her ID and the card she'd used to get them all into the club in the first place, (Tracey assumed it was a VIP pass from back when she was a gym leader), and ordered them all a drink. The five of them plopped down at the bar, Violet and Lily booting a couple people off of each end to make room for them all, and they all leaned against the counter. The smell of alcohol was stronger here, but so was the light, which Tracey was thankful for.

"So, like, as soon as you've had two or something, we're gonna, like, go out there and dance, 'kay?" Violet told Misty. She could barely be heard over the music. Tracey predicted he'd lose his voice before the end of the night. Also, he grimaced at the notion of dancing.

"I don't know, I think I'd rather stick it out here–"

"Silly girl, you thought you had a choice!" Daisy cut her off. Lily passed around their new drinks. "This is your _birthday_, it's time you began to live a little!"

"I live just fine!" she exclaimed. "And if it's _my_ birthday," she paused to glance down at her glass. It started out as some sort of dark red liquid at the bottom of the glass and worked its way up to the color of orange juice up near the rim. An orange slice was perched on the rim. "If it's _my_ birthday, I should get to do what _I_ want to do! And I don't feel comfortable dancing!"

"The alcohol help with that, dear," Daisy assured her.

"It's called a 'Tequila Sunrise,'" Violet was explaining. "Something nice and sweet to start off with! Plus, it's, like, totally pretty!"

"And you've got what's called a 'Harvey Wallbanger,'" Daisy explained to Tracey. "It's just vodka mixed with orange juice. It's totally delish, you'll love it!"

He glanced down at his glass. Orange juice was fine by itself, but vodka? It tasted like cold medicine! He had never liked cold medicine. He pushed his glass towards her. "Sorry, I don't drink."

"Just drink the damn thing, it's good!" Daisy shoved it back into his hands, and it almost sloshed all over his pants. "Besides, you could use a little loosening up, you look like a fish out of water!"

"It's because I am," he muttered under his breath, bringing his glass up to his face. Misty next to him rolled her eyes.

"You and me both," she replied, then took a gulp of her drink at the same time he did his. His throat burned and his eyes watered, but he forced himself to swallow the drink, if only out of courtesy for Daisy buying it in the first place. He nearly slammed the glass back down on the counter, but Daisy looked thoroughly proud of herself.

"See? Told you you'd like it!'

"It's great…" he managed to choke out. Next to him, Misty was coughing and sputtering. Violet went to pound on her back, but Misty swatted her hand away. When her fit died down, Daisy pushed the glass in her hand back towards her again.

"Go on, have some more, you'll feel better in no time!"

"How could I feel _better_ after having this stuff? It's disgusting!" She stuck out her tongue and made a face to emphasize her point, and Tracey chuckled a little bit at her reaction. "I don't get why you think this is so fun!"

"Misty!" Lily put a hand on her chest. "I, like, can't believe you would say that!"

"Huh?"

"We, like, took you out for this special night as, like, _our_ treat!" Violet chimed in. "And you, like, you take one drink and start bashing the whole evening!"

"We're your _sisters_, Misty," Daisy said. Tracey saw what they were doing. They were pulling the family card, trying to make her feel bad. Tracey could see right through it, but Misty was looking worse about it by the minute. She had to know, but she still felt guilty. "We took you out to the club to have a little bit of sisterly bonding for your _birthday_, to celebrate you finally being one of the girls and not being the little brat you used to be sometimes."

"You'd think you would, like, be a little more grateful and happy about it!" Lily interjected. The other two nodded in agreement. Misty was looking positively shameful. _Don't fall for it, Misty!_ Tracey was screaming at her in his head.

Apparently, Misty wasn't psychic.

"No, you guys, I didn't mean it like that," she said. Her mumbling could barely be heard over the thumping bass. "I'm having fun, and I appreciate what you're doing, but maybe this whole 'drinking' thing just isn't for me…"

"Of course it is, you're a Waterflower of Cerulean City!" Daisy gushed. "And besides, it's not like any of _us_ didn't have problems with our first time here! Violet even spat out her drink all over this cute guy she'd been flirting with when she realized I had swapped her soda for alcohol. You just gotta get into the swing of it is all."

Misty looked from her sisters and their faux-sadness down to her drink and back again. She even stole a look at Tracey once, to see if he would offer her any advice about it, but he looked just as uncomfortable as she did sitting there. Finally, she took a deep breath and took another gulp of her drink. The girls cheered.

"Wonderful, you finish that up and then meet us on the dance floor!" Daisy chirped, then rushed out with her sisters, leaving Misty and Tracey by themselves at the bar. Misty swung her head to look at him.

"Is there supposed to feel like there's a little buzzing bee flying around my head?" she asked him, then giggled. "That would be kinda funny, to like, open up your head and see a little Combee pop out!"

Apparently, Misty was a lightweight.

He put down his drink, one he hadn't taken another taste of since the first time, and turned to face her. Her cheeks were a little flushed, but that may have been how hot it was in the club. "Maybe you ought to quit while you're ahead?" he asked, setting his hand around her glass and tugging a little. "I don't think this alcohol stuff is going to be very good for you."

"Nonsense!" she jerked the glass back to herself. "I'm not drunk! I'm just…" She trailed off to find the right words. "I just feel like my head is buzzing, no big deal! I bet it's the music anyway! Can I taste your drink?" Before he could answer, she had reached over, grabbed his drink, and took a little more than a hardy swig from it. She dropped the glass back to the bar, grinning. "Daisy was right, yours _is_ good!"

"Okay, then how about _I_ don't want to see you get drugged up on alcohol?" Tracey supplied. "I like the old Misty, the normal Misty. I don't want to see you doing something you wouldn't want to just because you're under the influence of…whatever that drink is Daisy ordered for you."

Misty paused for a moment to look at him. He was being totally serious, too! Since when did Tracey ever get like that? Saying sweet little lines and, for once, trying to convince her that her sisters were wrong instead of taking her side. Her thinking got her nerves up. And when her nerves got up, she giggled a little louder than necessary and quickly turned away, sucking down the drink in her glass as if her life depended on it and trying to ignore the feeling that he was still looking at her, even while she was turned away. Finally, after her glass was empty, she stood up.

"I'm heading out to find my sisters and stuff so I'll see you when we're done okay later!"

Tracey watched her almost dash off into the throng of people moving and throbbing on the dance floor. Had he said something? Didn't girls usually like it when guys said nice things like that? But then, for all he knew, Misty could also be bad at taking compliments. But as much has he wanted her to stay, he was also slightly relieved to be alone now. He pushed his glass away from him, knowing he wouldn't be drinking any more of it if he had his way. Instead, he focused on the dance floor and all the people out there. Like the significant number of guys that all had the potential to be dancing with Misty.

He shook his head. That was stupid, other guys could dance with her if they wanted to. It wasn't like he had dibs on her or anything! Even as much as he wanted to…

Out of nowhere, Daisy plopped herself down on the stool next to him, red in the face and hot from her dancing on the floor. And yet, as usual, not a single hair was out of place. She reached over, grabbed Tracey's abandoned drink that had not yet been picked up by the bartender, and took a sip. "I'm hot, it's just madness out there!" She fanned herself with one hand. "Hope you don't mind me taking your drink, I need it more than you right now, y'know?"

"No, it's fine, go right ahead!" he told her, his eyes never leaving the dance floor. Daisy gave him a curious look.

"Are you okay, Tracey?" she asked. "You're not out there dancing, and we saw Misty head into the fray. We thought for sure that you'd be following her!"

"She's just acting a little weird around me is all," he shrugged. Daisy handed him back his now half-full drink and he hoped he wouldn't have to finish it. "I said something nice and she kinda giggled a little bit and then ran out there. And also, she really can't handle alcohol well. She's a little buzzed already."

"You said something nice and she giggled and ran away?" Daisy had some sort of smirk on her face now that Tracey didn't like. "And is that why you're watching the dance floor so intently right now? To keep an eye on her?"

Tracey knew her well enough to know she was plotting something. "Daisy, whatever you're thinking about doing, please stop. It's her birthday, she deserves to have a break!"

"I know it's her birthday, that's precisely _what_ is fueling these thoughts. Sure, going to this club was for fun, but what she really needs is a nice gift, wouldn't you say?"

He gulped. It was best to just agree with her when she got in a conniving mood like this, but something about it made Tracey even more apprehensive than usual to agree. "Well, yes, most people get gifts on their birthday…"

"Oh great, I'm glad you agree with me!" she chirped. "And with that done, I have to make a trip to the ladies' room, so if you'll excuse me." She stood, grabbed his drink out of his hand again, then disappeared into the crowd once more. The only silver lining Tracey could find to the situation he was now in was that, with Daisy gone with his drink, he wouldn't have to finish it if it wasn't there.

It was a small excuse for a silver lining, but Tracey took what he could get.

Out amongst the crowd, Daisy was pushing her way through the dancers, looking for Violet, Lily, and most of all, Misty. Her baby sister hadn't been hard to find, she was standing almost completely still in the middle of the floor, being jostled by everyone around her. She nearly flung herself around her sister in joy when she spotted her.

"Daisy!" she shouted, and was still barely heard, "I feel funny! And I don't like it out here!"

"Then why not go back with Tracey?" she shouted back. Misty shook her head a bit too forcefully, and Daisy noticed her empty drink glass clenched in her hand. Tracey was right, her sister really _was_ a lightweight.

"'Cause I feel funnier when I'm around him!" A girl dancing behind Misty swung her hips particularly wide and Misty went flying forward into Daisy. Violet and Lily, who had been dancing nearby, dropped their partners and forced their way over to pick the two up. The glass in Misty's hand had fallen and shattered, but nobody noticed it.

"Are you, like, alright?" Lily asked. "And what happened to you, Misty?"

"I'm alright," she told them. "I'm jus' fine!"

"Girls, I have to use the ladies' room," Daisy announced. Misty raised an eyebrow.

"Thanks for that announcement," she said. "Because I always need to know when you have to use the restroom. I have a real problem here!"

"Misty, you make, like, a totally terrible girl," Violet said. "Everyone _knows_ that girls don't go to the bathroom by themselves!" She took hold of one of Misty's arms while Daisy got the other. "So come on!" Daisy started dragging, and the four girls pushed their way across the dance floor to the doors at the back of the club marked with either a stick figure of a girl or boy.

Misty's first impression was that they were in the bathroom of a very fancy restaurant. Everything was shiny and clean. The stalls were sleek and black, but nobody paid any attention to that. Half the girls were leaning over the sinks toward the mirrors, putting on makeup and talking with each other. The other half were either bent double in the stalls or holding back the hair of those who were. Nobody was actually using the bathroom for its intended purpose. Once the door swung shut and a significant amount of the music was muffled, Daisy let go of Misty's arm and turned around to face her.

"So Misty, have you ever thought about you and Tracey before?"

Lily and Violet both bit back a girlish squeal. Daisy ignored them, and Misty turned bright red. "No! No, I haven't!"

Daisy thrust Tracey's half-full glass into her hands. "Drink a little and listen. I've seen you staring at him tonight while we were walking towards the club, and how annoyed you got when I started teasing you. And now you don't even want to go and sit at the bar with him because it makes you 'feel funny.' So tell me again, little sister. Have you ever thought about you and Tracey?"

Misty made a face as she swallowed some of the drink she'd just been handed. The loud buzzing in her head increased some more. Also, the floor started tilting a little bit. "Daisy, _this drink _is makin' me feel funny," she said. "I don't _like_ Tracey like…like that." She shook her head some more. "Nope, not at all, we're jus' friends."

"Aw, but you'd be, like, so cute!" Lily gushed. "And he totally works with you!"

"And I _totally_ saw him checking you out earlier! And I mean, we're way hotter than you 'cause we're older, and he wasn't looking at any of us," Violet supplied. Misty frowned at her sister.

"Gee, thanks."

"The point is," Daisy swung an arm over Misty's shoulders, "We think that _he's_ thinking about it, so we want to know if _you're_ thinking about it, too."

"Well, I'm _not_," Misty said, pushing her sister's arm off of her. "An' he's not either. I think. I mean, he can look if he jus' wants to, I guess." She trailed off, then clapped her hands to her cheeks suddenly. Lily only just caught Tracey's empty glass before it hit the floor. "Oh my gosh, what if he _is _thinking about me that way?" Daisy smirked again.

Bingo.

She left Lily and Violet to talk sense into _slightly_ hysterical and _slightly_ drunk Misty, made her way back across the loud room, and spotted Tracy at the same place at the bar. He still looked just as out of place as usual, but at least he looked good while doing it. She sidled up next to him and took what looked like a plain glass of soda pop out of his hands and set it back on the bar. He looked like his smile was a little forced.

"Hello again, Daisy," he said. "Back from the bathroom so soon?"

"I decided to skip the dancing part for now," she said. "But I think maybe _you_ should go out and give it a try." She nodded toward the floor. It looked hot and sweaty and crowded and cramped. Tracey shook his head.

"Sorry, dancing isn't my thing," he said. "I'd rather just stay here and watch you guys."

"You mean you'd rather watch _Misty_," Daisy corrected him. Tracey nodded absently.

"Yeah…I mean, wait! No!" He turned pink and shook his head. "No, that's not what I mean at all! I'd rather just watch everyone!" The more he stuttered, the redder he turned. Daisy just shrugged, leaned back against the bar, and took a sip of his soda.

"You don't have to pretend around me, Tracey," she said. "I've seen you sneaking peeks at her all night. And to be honest, I don't blame you, we _did_ do a good job getting her ready for tonight." She polished her nails on her shirt and glanced up at him again. "So, Tracey, do you want to change your answer?"

He sighed. Ne wasn't one to lie, and even if he did, Daisy always seemed to catch him at it. "Okay, yeah, I was keeping an eye out for her more than anyone else."

"That's better," she said. "So why just watch? Why don't you go out there and do a little dancing yourself? Sweep her off her feet before some other guy comes along and snags her attention?" She made wide, sweeping gestures as if this were supposed to unfold like a grand story from a movie or book. To Tracey, it seemed more like a bad idea.

"She can dance with any guy she wants to," he said, trying to keep his voice level. "That's her choice. And I'm not big on it anyway, it's too crowded out there." Daisy let out an annoyed huff, grabbed his shoulders, and swung him around to face her. He stiffened when he saw the look on her face.

"Do you like her, Tracey?"

He gulped. "I thought we already established that I did."

"Then you need to _do_ something about it!" she cried. "Go out there, be romantic, sweep her off her feet! Girls love that sort of thing!"

"She ran away last time I tried to say something nice!" Trying to talk sense into Daisy was like trying to convince a brick wall to become a puppy. But damned if he wasn't trying!

"So go try again!"Daisy urged. "She's just a little rattled because of her drink, she'll be fine." He shook his head.

"That's another thing! How do I know that as soon as she sobers up that everything will be fine and dandy? Drinking throws your judgment off, you know! And I don't want to have her wake up tomorrow and be like 'Oh, sorry, Tracey, I was just not in my right mind last night and I don't really like you like that so let's just be friends.'" He threw up his hands. "'Just friends' is the _worst_ fate for me right now! And I don't feel like chancing it!"

"See, this would not be an issue if you'd have just _drank_ your damn drink!" Daisy huffed. "Just trust me on this one, alright? That won't happen to you at all. I promise. She's not _that_ far gone yet."

Tracey looked out onto the floor again. The music had been temporarily blocked out while he minced words with Daisy, and suddenly it was all he could hear. Until, that is, he spotted Misty's bright red head bobbing about on the floor. Then he could hear the blood pumping in his ears, too. Daisy put a hand on his arm and he jumped.

"I'm serious, go pull one of those 'knight in shining armor' things and go dance with her. Sweep her off her feet!" She elbowed him. "When have I ever steered you wrong?" He turned and raised an eyebrow at her, but she pushed him forward before he could say anything. "Now, go!"

His feet led him closer to the floor, closer to the crowd of people, closer to the heavy music, and closer to Misty. Every step he took only assured him that this was a good idea. Every footfall boosted his confidence just a little more. How he would say it, what he would do. He was Tracey! He was confident! He was about to sweep the girl he liked off her feet!

And then suddenly, as soon as he stepped down onto the floor, his confidence began to wane. What was he doing? Dancing wasn't something he was good at! Tracey was good at drawing, sitting around and doodling, an activity that required very little physical ability at all! How did he expect to show off enough to "sweep her off her feet" if he had no idea what he was even doing? Now, every footstep brought a new worry to his gut and by the time he'd made it all the way to where Misty was dancing, all he could do was stand there and stare, his mouth forming no words at all. Until, of course, someone bumped into him from behind and made him lose his balance and nearly knock her over. Misty noticed him, then.

"Hey, Trace!" she shouted over the music. Her cheeks were flushed, but he couldn't tell if it was from her dancing or whether it was for the same reason as last time he spoke to her. She seemed a little out of it, as far as he could see. She slurred just a tiny bit when she spoke, but as Daisy had said, she still seemed very normal. "I thought you didn't like dancing?"

"I, uh…" he floundered for the right words. "I don't! I mean, it isn't bad, but it's just not my thing. If it's your thing, that's okay, of course, you can like whatever you want to–"

"Violet an' Lily said they thought you'd stay up at the bar 'cause you don't like it," she said. "So I thought I wouldn't see you again until we went home!"

"Uh, no, I decided to come and dance a little!"

"Even though you don't like it?" She folded her arms. He glanced around, looking for an excuse to look anywhere but at her.

"Uh, yeah," he said at last. "Even though I don't like it. But I like you, so I'll try it! I mean–!" He wanted to smack himself in the forehead for just letting that confession out. So much for sweeping her off her feet. "I mean, of course I like you! You're like, my best friend, so since it's your birthday and all, I was like, 'Hey, I'll go out and dance with her, she'll like that, ri–"

"Tracey," Misty had to shout louder than usual to be heard over both the music _and_ Tracey, "just get over yourself already! I'm not stupid, you know!"

She stepped closer and alarm bells started going off in her head. She hated it when Daisy was right, but she hated it even more when boys wouldn't own up to anything. She'd gone through enough of that with Ash when she was younger, and she was not about to go through it again. So she closed in, reached up, and pulled Tracey down to have his lips meet hers before he could have any say in the matter.

Although, even _if_ his mouth hadn't been preoccupied with her kiss at the moment, his mind did nothing but draw a blank when she finally let him go. Then she spun him around and pushed him off of the floor and past the bar, where her sisters were seated, each with a drink, and looking positively pleased with themselves.

"Your lipstick's a little smudged right there!" Daisy called. The other two giggled, and Misty stuck out her tongue. "Where are you going?"

"Home!" Misty shouted back at them. "I'd rather spend my birthday doing something I _enjoy_, thank you very much!" And with that, she steered a very dazed Tracey out of the club.

The only thing he could think of when he got his bearings and reached out for her hand once they were safely out of the building and walking the streets, was that she wasn't the only one who had had a good birthday that night.

**A/N: Out of all the stories I've ever written, this was by far the hardest to complete, on-time and done well. Or, well enough. I feel like there are a million things wrong with it, but I can get over myself.**

**Another Happy Birthday to you, Aron! (And to Shan, your present is on the way!)**


End file.
